Apparatus for annealing glass



Feb. 17, 1931. H. A. WADMAN APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASS led March 21, 1929 Patented Feb. -1 7, 1931 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE-1} HAROLD A. WADMA-N, OE HARTFORD, CONNECTTCUT, 'ASSIGNOB T HARTFORD- EMPIRE COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE 'APrAnA'rtJs non ANNEAL'ING GLASS 'Applicati on filed March 21, 1929. Serial No. 348,961.-

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for annealing glass, and is particularly applicable to glass annealing lehrs in which the heat of the glass itseltis utilized for maintaining, to a large extent, the desired temperature within the lehr, there being little, if any additional heat furnished thereto..

I have shown my invention as applied to a mufiie lehr, specifically a lehr of the type disclosed in a patent to Vergil Mulholland,

No. 1,560,481 issued November 3,- 1925.

One object of this invention is to provide. a

method and means for quickly preheating theware tunnel of an annealing lehr.

A more specific object ofthe invention 15 to provide a method and means for selective ly sending theproducts of combustion from the heating means of an annealing lehr through the ware tunnel thereof for the purpose of preheating the said tunnel.

Further objectsof my invention will appear from the following specification and claims. I have illustrated one embodiment of the mechanical features of my-invention,

by means of which my improved process,

may be performed, "in the accompanying drawings in which: v v

The drawing shows alon tudinal section in elevation of a muflle lefir of the type describedin the above-mentioned patent to 'Mulholland and having a specific embodiment ofmy inventionincorporate'd therein. .In general the device illustrated comprises a lehr for annealing glassware, ha'vinga tun:

nel through which .the ware is moved by a conveyor belt, flues adjacent to the said tunn'el for maintaining the desired temperature therein and heating means for heatlng some of the flues, specifically the lower or heating flues. I have provided a'controlled opening between the heating chamber and the ware containing tunnel by which products of combustion, may when desired pass into the said tunnel and Ihave also provided a second controlled opening above the tunnel and placed nearer -to the ware delivery end as an outlet for the said products- 0f combustion. A ,fan or other suction device positively draws the 56 said products of combustion through the tunnel. Thus, it is possible 'to preheat the tunnel, raising the various parts thereof to the desired temperatures before the ware has been placed therein. Thereafter 1 close the said controlled openings, open the inlet and outlet ends of the ware tunnel, pass the ware thereiuto and use largely the heat in the ware for maintaining the temperature of the tunnel while employing the flues to assure a of cooling flues D extending. longitudinally above the tunnel and adapted to open to the outer air at 11, a draft producing device E, specifically a. suction fan, located near the ware delivery end of the tunnel and communicating with both the heating flues and the cooling flues, and an endless conveyor G, the ware-bearing strand of which transverses the tunnel and the idle strandof which returns to-the ware receiving 'end of the tunnel belocated beneath neath the lehr. A plurality of stacks 12'con trolled by dampers 13 are arranged at in- "tervals lengthwise of the-flues C for admitting diluting air from the outer atmosphere into the flues to regulate the temperatures thereof and a plurality of stacks 14 controlled by dampers 15 are arranged at intervals lengthwise of the flues D to regulate the amount and location of the cooling medium drawn out of the cooling flues. The fire box B'has one or more openings through which flames from a burner 16 are projected into the fire box. Whenware is being conveyed hot gases at temperatures regulated by control (if-secondary air, ass from the fire box ue C and after being diluted as desired byair through the damper through the heati g through the tunnel A by the conveyor G', thesecontrolled stacks 12', pass upward through .a vertical flue 17 into the drum 18 from which they are drawn by the fan or suction device E. .The ware tunnel may be constructed of cast iron and comprise a bottom 19, a top 20, and side walls 21, and the-ware-receiving and ware-delivery ends 7 thereof may be formed with openings 22 and 23. All of the above described apparatus is disclosed in the above-mentioned patent to Mulholland.

I provide means for closing the ends of the tunnel when desired, to permit preheating of the tunnel, comprising a door 24 for closing the ware receiving end 22 and a door 25 for closing the'ware delivery end 23 the latter being also used for closing the air inlets 11 of the cooling flues D. These doors may be made of any convenient construction and separate doors may be provided if desired for closing the ware delivery end 23 and the cooling fines D.

I also provide means for selectively directing the products of combustion to flow through the ware tunnel or through the fiues C. To this end, the bottom 19 of the tunnel A has an opening 26 adjacent to the forward or ware-receiving end and directly over a flue leading from the fire box B. When ware is passing through the tunnel this opening may be normally closed by a gate or valve 27, pivoted at 28 and adapted to open downwardly upon the said pivot. The top 20 of the tunnel A has a similar opening29 nearer the ware delivery end of the tunnel and arranged to be selectively opened or closed by the gate 30 pivoted at 31. Suitable means are provided for manually opening and closing the gates 27 and 30 as desired and for locking the said gates in either open or closed positions. Each of the fiues C has a damper 32 near the fire box which may be arranged to be opened or closed as desired. 7

The operation of the above described ap aratus will be apparent from the description thereof, When the lehr has been allowed to cool and it is desired again to-operate it, the doors 24 and 25 are moved to close the ware receiving. and delivery ends of the tunnel and to close the inlet ends of the cooling flues D. The gates 27 and 30 are opened andthe dampers 13 and 32 are closed. The burner 16 is lighted and the fan E is made efiective to draw the gases from the burner 16 through the fire box B, the opening 26, the tunnel A, the opening 29, one or more of the stacks 14 and the drum 18. By this means the tunnel sage of the ware into and out of the tunnel;

Thedoors 24 and 25 are of course.-

If the lehr is to be operated as a heatless lehr the burner 16 is turned OE and the various dampers in the several fines are controlled to aid in the creation of a-suitable temperature gradient within the tunnel, such as will effectively anneal the ware. In the event that the lehr is to be operated as a heated mufiied lehr the damper 32 is opened and the products of combustion at the proper controlled temperatures are suitably diluted as they pass longitudinall of the tunnel and are carried through the ues C to the box 18. The cooling flue D is operated and controlled in a manner described in the aforesaid Mulholland patent to aid in maintaining the proper temperature gradient as also is the ware discharge end of the flue 6 which is so constructed as to also act when desired as a coolin flue.

y invention is of a special utility in connection with the so-called heatless lehrs and with those lehrs in which the bulk of the heat introduced into the tunnel or annealing chamber is supplied by the ware, but it is not necessarily limited to use with any type of lehr.

It is to be understood that the above described embodiment of my invention is for the purpose of illustration only and various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a glass annealing lehr in combination, an elongate tunnel, means for moving glass therethrough, a source of hot gases, means normally effective during the annealing operations for causing a flow of such gases from the source along a path, and means for diverting the gases from said pathtand into and through the tunnel to preheat the tunnel.

2. In a glass annealing lehr in combination, an elongate tunnel, means for moving lass therethrough, a source of hot gases, a raft means for causing a flow of such gases, a conduit connecting said draft means and said source, and means for selectively directing the hot gases through the conduit or through the tunnel.

3. In a glass annealing lehr in combination, an elongate tunnel, means for moving glass therethrough, a fire box, a draft producing device, means connecting said fire box and said draft producing device, means for selectively directing the flow of products of comlbustion from said fire boxto said draft producing device through the last-named connecting means or through the tunnel.

4, A lehr for annealing glass, comprisin a tunnel, means for moving glass through-t e tunnel, and means for preheating the said tunnel, com rising a fire boxipositioned below the tunnel, t e tunnel havin an opening leading to the said fire box and having a second opening leading from the said tunnel, means of. the tunnel, and a damper 5. In a glass anneallng lehr in combination,

an elongate tunnel having a glass receiving end and a glass delivery end, means for'moving glass therethrough, a fire box positioned below the tunnel and adjacent the glassrecei'ving end thereof, a conduitleading from said'fire box and a fan for causing a flow of gases from the said fire box'throughsaid 0011'- duit, the tunnel having an open ngileadin to said fire .boX and having a second opening-" leading to the said fan, means for closing the 7 said openings, doorsfor closin the said ends said conduit, whereby the hot gases may be directed selectively through the tunnelfor. preheating it, or 'through'theconduit for nor-,

lnal operation in annealing.

Signed at Hartford, Co nnecticntithis-15th I I For closing the HAROLD A. WA M'ANJ j 

